ALEX Lesson Plans

Title: Let's Move to College
Description:
Moving to college is exciting and stressful. Careful planning and budgeting prior to the move-in day will help eliminate the stress by preparing the college freshman for their new home away from home. Student awareness of financial aid opportunities provides transition from home-to-college with ease. This contains a financial aid component.
Standard(s): [MA2013] ALC (9-12) 7: Use analytical, numerical, and graphical methods to make financial and economic decisions, including those involving banking and investments, insurance, personal budgets, credit purchases, recreation, and deceptive and fraudulent pricing and advertising. (Alabama)

Subject: Career Cluster Electives (9 - 12), or Human Services (9 - 12), or Mathematics (9 - 12) Title: Let's Move to CollegeDescription: Moving to college is exciting and stressful. Careful planning and budgeting prior to the move-in day will help eliminate the stress by preparing the college freshman for their new home away from home. Student awareness of financial aid opportunities provides transition from home-to-college with ease. This contains a financial aid component.

Title: To Market, To Market- Learning and Teaching About Investing in Stocks
Description:
This is a technology-based lesson to provide students an opportunity to research and select companies to invest in by 'purchasing' stocks. Students are responsible for tracking and reporting results of investments, as well as creating a beginers' guide to investing in the stock market using available web 2.0 tools.
Standard(s): [SS2010] ECON (12) 7: Describe the organization and role of business.

Subject: Finance (9 - 12), or Mathematics (9 - 12), or Social Studies (12), or Technology Education (9 - 12) Title: To Market, To Market- Learning and Teaching About Investing in StocksDescription: This is a technology-based lesson to provide students an opportunity to research and select companies to invest in by 'purchasing' stocks. Students are responsible for tracking and reporting results of investments, as well as creating a beginers' guide to investing in the stock market using available web 2.0 tools.

Title: Teen Parent: Don't Just Let It Happen
Description:
This lesson addresses facts and fiction about teen pregnancy. It is an in-depth look into the social and financial challenges of teen parenting. It includes a cost analysis of a baby's first year of life. Be aware the subject of this lesson is sensitive, it includes research and discussions about sex, birth control, and the consequences of teen pregnancy. The lesson has a financial student aid component which allows teens to research opportunities to further their education through grants, scholarships or student loans, and involves filling out the Federal Application for Student Aid.
Standard(s): [ELA2013] (10) 33: Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence. [SL.9-10.3]

Subject: Business, Management, and Administration (9 - 12), or English Language Arts (9 - 10), or Human Services (9 - 12), or Mathematics (9 - 12) Title: Teen Parent: Don't Just Let It HappenDescription: This lesson addresses facts and fiction about teen pregnancy. It is an in-depth look into the social and financial challenges of teen parenting. It includes a cost analysis of a baby's first year of life. Be aware the subject of this lesson is sensitive, it includes research and discussions about sex, birth control, and the consequences of teen pregnancy. The lesson has a financial student aid component which allows teens to research opportunities to further their education through grants, scholarships or student loans, and involves filling out the Federal Application for Student Aid.

Title: My Future Life: Let's Get Real
Description:
This lesson requires students to select a career and explore the requirements for their potential job. They will work with a reality life situation of married versus single, number of children and challenge events. Students will determine earnings, purchase a home, car and figure monthly living expenses. Students are to create a digital photo presentation to share their future life with classmates. There is a financial aid component embedded in this lesson, also this is a unit of instruction which will take approximately one week for completion.
Standard(s): [MA2013] ALC (9-12) 7: Use analytical, numerical, and graphical methods to make financial and economic decisions, including those involving banking and investments, insurance, personal budgets, credit purchases, recreation, and deceptive and fraudulent pricing and advertising. (Alabama)

Subject: Career Cluster Electives (9 - 12), or Mathematics (9 - 12) Title: My Future Life: Let's Get RealDescription: This lesson requires students to select a career and explore the requirements for their potential job. They will work with a reality life situation of married versus single, number of children and challenge events. Students will determine earnings, purchase a home, car and figure monthly living expenses. Students are to create a digital photo presentation to share their future life with classmates. There is a financial aid component embedded in this lesson, also this is a unit of instruction which will take approximately one week for completion.

Title: My First Apartment
Description:
This lesson plan is a 2-day, technology-based, real-world application that will help students understand the expenses of their living conditions when moving into a new apartment with a roommate. This lesson plan can be used in Pre-Algebra, Algebraic Connections, and Business courses.
Students will create an expense portfolio with given occupation and expenses.
Standard(s): [MA2013] ALC (9-12) 7: Use analytical, numerical, and graphical methods to make financial and economic decisions, including those involving banking and investments, insurance, personal budgets, credit purchases, recreation, and deceptive and fraudulent pricing and advertising. (Alabama)

Subject: Mathematics (9 - 12), or Technology Education (6 - 8) Title: My First ApartmentDescription: This lesson plan is a 2-day, technology-based, real-world application that will help students understand the expenses of their living conditions when moving into a new apartment with a roommate. This lesson plan can be used in Pre-Algebra, Algebraic Connections, and Business courses.
Students will create an expense portfolio with given occupation and expenses.

Title: FAFSA can be taxing!
Description:
Complete tax forms and use these to complete a FAFSA worksheet. This project contains a financial aid component.
Standard(s): [MA2013] ALC (9-12) 7: Use analytical, numerical, and graphical methods to make financial and economic decisions, including those involving banking and investments, insurance, personal budgets, credit purchases, recreation, and deceptive and fraudulent pricing and advertising. (Alabama)

Title: What's The Real Cost of That Car?
Description:
This is a Commerce and Information Technology lesson plan. A project requiring research, critical thinking and complex decision-making about factoring all the costs of purchasing a large ticket item... a car.
Standard(s): [MA2013] DM1 (9-12) 9: Determine a minimum project time using algorithms to schedule tasks in order, including critical path analysis, the list-processing algorithm, and student-created algorithms. (Alabama)

Subject: Business, Management, and Administration (9 - 12), or Mathematics (9 - 12) Title: What's The Real Cost of That Car?Description: This is a Commerce and Information Technology lesson plan. A project requiring research, critical thinking and complex decision-making about factoring all the costs of purchasing a large ticket item... a car.

Title: Liquidity for Success
Description:
This lesson will input values to calculate financial ratios and intepret the information derived from the calculations. This is a Commerce and Information Technology lesson plan.
Standard(s): [MA2013] ALC (9-12) 3: Use formulas or equations of functions to calculate outcomes of exponential growth or decay. (Alabama)

Subject: Finance (9 - 12), or Mathematics (9 - 12) Title: Liquidity for SuccessDescription: This lesson will input values to calculate financial ratios and intepret the information derived from the calculations. This is a Commerce and Information Technology lesson plan.

Title: Bubble Gum Chemistry
Description:
Students will learn to calculate the percentage composition of various compounds. As an extension they will then devise a similar method to calculate the percentage of sugar in various types of bubble gum.This lesson plan was created as a result of the Girls Engaged in Math and Science, GEMS Project funded by the Malone Family Foundation.
Standard(s): [MA2013] ALC (9-12) 7: Use analytical, numerical, and graphical methods to make financial and economic decisions, including those involving banking and investments, insurance, personal budgets, credit purchases, recreation, and deceptive and fraudulent pricing and advertising. (Alabama)

Subject: Mathematics (9 - 12), or Science (9 - 12) Title: Bubble Gum ChemistryDescription: Students will learn to calculate the percentage composition of various compounds. As an extension they will then devise a similar method to calculate the percentage of sugar in various types of bubble gum.This lesson plan was created as a result of the Girls Engaged in Math and Science, GEMS Project funded by the Malone Family Foundation.

Title: Let's Make A Pie
Description:
The students will survey their classmates and construct circle graphs to display their results. Students will produce circle graphs using a compass and protractor, and then with an interactive computer program.This lesson plan was created as a result of the Girls Engaged in Math and Science, GEMS Project funded by the Malone Family Foundation.
Standard(s): [MA2013] (7) 20: Use measures of center and measures of variability for numerical data from random samples to draw informal comparative inferences about two populations. [7-SP4]

Subject: Mathematics (7 - 12) Title: Let's Make A PieDescription: The students will survey their classmates and construct circle graphs to display their results. Students will produce circle graphs using a compass and protractor, and then with an interactive computer program.This lesson plan was created as a result of the Girls Engaged in Math and Science, GEMS Project funded by the Malone Family Foundation.

Title: ABC's Of Banking
Description:
This lesson is a practical hands-on approach to banking services. The students will be able to integrate banking knowledge with practical personal applications. Students will investigate factors that influence banking services. This lesson plan was created as a result of the Girls Engaged in Math and Science, GEMS Project funded by the Malone Family Foundation.
Standard(s):

Subject: Mathematics (9 - 12) Title: ABC's Of BankingDescription: This lesson is a practical hands-on approach to banking services. The students will be able to integrate banking knowledge with practical personal applications. Students will investigate factors that influence banking services. This lesson plan was created as a result of the Girls Engaged in Math and Science, GEMS Project funded by the Malone Family Foundation.

Title: Discovering Earth's History
Description:
This lesson introduces the basic principles that are used to interpret geologic time. It associates the relationships between the rock record and historical events that created the landforms on our planet. It explains how the rock record can be interpreted by geologists.This lesson plan was created as a result of the Girls Engaged in Math and Science, GEMS Project, funded by the Malone Family Foundation.
Standard(s): [MA2013] AL1 (9-12) 41: Represent data with plots on the real number line (dot plots, histograms, and box plots). [S-ID1]

Subject: Mathematics (9 - 12), or Science (9 - 12) Title: Discovering Earth's HistoryDescription: This lesson introduces the basic principles that are used to interpret geologic time. It associates the relationships between the rock record and historical events that created the landforms on our planet. It explains how the rock record can be interpreted by geologists.This lesson plan was created as a result of the Girls Engaged in Math and Science, GEMS Project, funded by the Malone Family Foundation.

Title: I know what you did last summer: A data graphing project.
Description:
This 'first day of class' lesson is designed to assist the teacher in establishing a 'community of learners' where both girls and boys learn to communicate mathematically. The lesson culminates with students presenting a graphical representation of their summer activities (or winter break) via a poster presentation.This lesson plan was created as a result of the Girls Engaged in Math and Science, GEMS Project funded by the Malone Family Foundation.
Standard(s): [MA2013] ALC (9-12) 7: Use analytical, numerical, and graphical methods to make financial and economic decisions, including those involving banking and investments, insurance, personal budgets, credit purchases, recreation, and deceptive and fraudulent pricing and advertising. (Alabama)

Subject: Mathematics (9 - 12) Title: I know what you did last summer: A data graphing project.Description: This 'first day of class' lesson is designed to assist the teacher in establishing a 'community of learners' where both girls and boys learn to communicate mathematically. The lesson culminates with students presenting a graphical representation of their summer activities (or winter break) via a poster presentation.This lesson plan was created as a result of the Girls Engaged in Math and Science, GEMS Project funded by the Malone Family Foundation.

Title: Creating a Water Tank - Part II "Selling the Tank"
Description:
Working in groups of 4-5 students will take the information,pictures and 3-D model of the water tank they assembled in Part I of Creating a Water Tank and develop a web page and a video presentation. The web page will be a tool to advertise their water tank construction company and must include hyperlinks and digital pictures. The video presentation will be a "sales pitch" to a city council. The web page and video will be scored using a rubric. The web page and video must include the surface area, volume and cost of construction.
Standard(s): [MA2013] GEO (9-12) 41: Apply geometric methods to solve design problems (e.g., designing an object or structure to satisfy physical constraints or minimize cost, working with typographic grid systems based on ratios).* [G-MG3]

Subject: Mathematics (7 - 12), or Technology Education (9 - 12) Title: Creating a Water Tank - Part II "Selling the Tank"Description: Working in groups of 4-5 students will take the information,pictures and 3-D model of the water tank they assembled in Part I of Creating a Water Tank and develop a web page and a video presentation. The web page will be a tool to advertise their water tank construction company and must include hyperlinks and digital pictures. The video presentation will be a "sales pitch" to a city council. The web page and video will be scored using a rubric. The web page and video must include the surface area, volume and cost of construction.

Title: Money Matters: Where Does It Go?
Description:
In this project students will utilize math and reasoning skills to develop a personal budget. By weighing their expenses as "wants" vs. "needs," students will develop management skills and learn the importance of getting the most out of the money they earn.
Standard(s):

Subject: Mathematics (9 - 12) Title: Money Matters: Where Does It Go?Description: In this project students will utilize math and reasoning skills to develop a personal budget. By weighing their expenses as "wants" vs. "needs," students will develop management skills and learn the importance of getting the most out of the money they earn.

Title: Rags to Riches or Riches to Rags?
Description:
In this lesson students will apply the interest formulas to make the best investment decision for our fictional character Algebrea Calculique. The students will be provided with a story explaining the situation that Algebrea faces and the investment choices that she has. To present their findings and conclusion, the students will write an expository essay. This lesson integrates mathematics into the writing process.
Standard(s):

Subject: English Language Arts (9 - 10), or Mathematics (9 - 12) Title: Rags to Riches or Riches to Rags?Description: In this lesson students will apply the interest formulas to make the best investment decision for our fictional character Algebrea Calculique. The students will be provided with a story explaining the situation that Algebrea faces and the investment choices that she has. To present their findings and conclusion, the students will write an expository essay. This lesson integrates mathematics into the writing process.

Title: Spreadsheets and Budgets
Description:
This activity allows students to use real-world data to create a spreadsheet budget. This project is designed to be the culmination of a spreadsheet unit.
Standard(s): [MA2013] ALC (9-12) 7: Use analytical, numerical, and graphical methods to make financial and economic decisions, including those involving banking and investments, insurance, personal budgets, credit purchases, recreation, and deceptive and fraudulent pricing and advertising. (Alabama)

Subject: Mathematics (9 - 12), or Technology Education (9 - 12) Title: Spreadsheets and BudgetsDescription: This activity allows students to use real-world data to create a spreadsheet budget. This project is designed to be the culmination of a spreadsheet unit.

Thinkfinity Lesson Plans

Title: Predicting Your Financial Future
Description:
In this Illuminations lesson, students use their knowledge of exponents to compute an investment s worth using a formula and a compound interest simulator. Students also use the simulator to analyze credit card payments and debt.
Standard(s): [MA2013] ALC (9-12) 7: Use analytical, numerical, and graphical methods to make financial and economic decisions, including those involving banking and investments, insurance, personal budgets, credit purchases, recreation, and deceptive and fraudulent pricing and advertising. (Alabama)

Subject: MathematicsTitle: Predicting Your Financial FutureDescription: In this Illuminations lesson, students use their knowledge of exponents to compute an investment s worth using a formula and a compound interest simulator. Students also use the simulator to analyze credit card payments and debt.Thinkfinity Partner: IlluminationsGrade Span: 9,10,11,12

Title: Hospital Problem
Description:
This reproducible transparency, from an Illuminations lesson, describes an activity in which students must plan where to build a new hospital so that it can serve the needs of three cities.
Standard(s): [MA2013] ALC (9-12) 7: Use analytical, numerical, and graphical methods to make financial and economic decisions, including those involving banking and investments, insurance, personal budgets, credit purchases, recreation, and deceptive and fraudulent pricing and advertising. (Alabama)

Subject: MathematicsTitle: Hospital ProblemDescription: This reproducible transparency, from an Illuminations lesson, describes an activity in which students must plan where to build a new hospital so that it can serve the needs of three cities.Thinkfinity Partner: IlluminationsGrade Span: 9,10,11,12

Title: Soda Cans
Description:
This reproducible activity sheet, from an Illuminations lesson, guides students through a simulation in which they try different arrangements to make the most efficient use of space and thus pack the most soda cans into a rectangular packing box.
Standard(s): [MA2013] ALC (9-12) 11: Use ratios of perimeters, areas, and volumes of similar figures to solve applied problems. (Alabama)

Subject: MathematicsTitle: Soda CansDescription: This reproducible activity sheet, from an Illuminations lesson, guides students through a simulation in which they try different arrangements to make the most efficient use of space and thus pack the most soda cans into a rectangular packing box.Thinkfinity Partner: IlluminationsGrade Span: 9,10,11,12

Title: Exploring Linear Data
Description:
In this lesson, from Illuminations, students model linear data in a variety of settings. Students can work alone or in small groups to construct scatterplots, interpret data points and trends, and investigate the notion of line of best fit.
Standard(s): [MA2013] ALT (9-12) 33: Write a function that describes a relationship between two quantities.* [F-BF1]

Subject: MathematicsTitle: Exploring Linear DataDescription: In this lesson, from Illuminations, students model linear data in a variety of settings. Students can work alone or in small groups to construct scatterplots, interpret data points and trends, and investigate the notion of line of best fit.Thinkfinity Partner: IlluminationsGrade Span: 6,7,8,9,10,11,12

ALEX Learning Assets

Title: Buying My New Wheels
Digital Tool:
iPad App Numbers & SAS Curriculum Pathways Web Address URL:
http://www.sascurriculumpathways.com/portal/Launch?id=214&bhcp=1 Standard(s):
[MA2013] ALC (9-12) 7: Use analytical, numerical, and graphical methods to make financial and economic decisions, including those involving banking and investments, insurance, personal budgets, credit purchases, recreation, and deceptive and fraudulent pricing and advertising. (Alabama)Digital Tool Description: Numbers is an iPad app similar to excel that encompasses they use of spreadsheets, charts, and graphics to analyze data. Students are able to input data and analyze the results at the tip of their fingers by creating a spreadsheat. They also can create a form that inputs all of the data into the spreadsheet

Title:Buying My New WheelsDigital Tool: iPad App Numbers & SAS Curriculum PathwaysDigital Tool Description: Numbers is an iPad app similar to excel that encompasses they use of spreadsheets, charts, and graphics to analyze data. Students are able to input data and analyze the results at the tip of their fingers by creating a spreadsheat. They also can create a form that inputs all of the data into the spreadsheet